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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29271039">Ten Of Swords</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heliocat/pseuds/Heliocat'>Heliocat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Banana Fish (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Charms, Deeper Meanings, Festivals, Foreshadowing, Gen, Insight, Soulmates, Superstition, Tarot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:25:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,970</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29271039</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heliocat/pseuds/Heliocat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Eiji is seventeen, and during a summer festival in Matsue his sister drags him over to a mysterious lady offering tarot card readings. He doesn't think much of it, tarot being just a bit of fun nonsense, but some of the predictions 'Madame Tsubaki' makes about his supposed future 'soulmate' prove to be disturbingly accurate.</p><p>At a later date and time, Ash is sixteen, hanging out with his best friend, who has brought him along to a street festival in New York. They encounter a strange Japanese fortune teller, who gives Ash a very thorough description of a person he will meet in the future, but he is sceptical. Tarot is illogical and unscientific. Besides, a person that good couldn't possibly exist.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ash Lynx &amp; Shorter Wong, Okumura Eiji &amp; Okumura Eiji's Sister</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>53</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The tarot and charm readings Madame Tsubaki uses in this fic are heavily influenced by the Youtuber 'Charmed Intuition Tarot', who uses a big pot of charms along with oracle and tarot cards to do her readings. I quite like how she uses charms to clarify what the cards are saying; it just adds a deeper layer of meaning to her readings.</p><p>I also, like Eiji, think tarot is just a bit of fun nonsense, and you shouldn't put too much faith and trust in a pack of cards to dictate your fate. I'm no expert in what they mean either - I know a little, but I had to look online for card meanings. However, it's still interesting to do a pull and see what they tell you :)</p><p>British English spelling and grammar. Probably full of errors too, but hey ho!</p><p>Many thanks to Akimi Yoshida for creating Banana Fish - this is a work of fanfiction, so I own none of the intellectual property.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Oh, Ei-nii! Tarot readings!”</p><p>Eiji was seventeen, very bored, stuck dragging his fourteen-year-old sister around the Tamatsukuri Onsen summer festival because his mother had to work and his father had recently been taken ill. He could be doing way more productive things with his time, like training for that big inter-high track and field competition coming up. He could use some more work on his take-off – he still had a tendency to place the pole too early, which often led to him catching the bar as he had further to fly - but his mother had insisted he accompany his sister, and he couldn’t say no because facing their disappointment was so much worse than being here. So here he was, dressed in a green yukata, nibbling on a grilled squid on a stick, while Kaori pulled him around to all the stalls she wanted to visit. She’d already made him buy her candy floss, and they’d failed three times to scoop a goldfish before she pulled him over to a shooting gallery and he had, somehow, won a stuffed toy rabbit by knocking down a target with a thrown beanbag. Even he’s not sure how he managed that one – his aim was terrible, and everything more than a couple of metres away from him was blurry. He should probably get his eyes checked, but they’d only make him wear glasses and he was already teased at school for being a ‘flyboy’, without adding ‘four-eyes’ on top of that. Plus, they couldn’t afford it right now – if he won the competition, maybe then he could spare a few yen to see an optometrist, but until then all their money was being spent on his father’s hospital treatment, and the cost of running the house and keeping his sister and himself in education. The only reason they could be at the festival was because Auntie Sakura had given them a small allowance to go and enjoy themselves. It was enough for a  couple of items of street food and a few parlour games, and they’d be able to see the fireworks later.</p><p>“Tarot is a load of crap, Kaori,” he murmured, chewing at a bite of squid. “They just tell you something generic they think you want to hear!”</p><p>“Somebody doesn’t believe in the heart of the cards,” Kaori pouted. She folded her arms, crinkling the long sleeves of her pink morning glory emblazoned yukata, glaring at him.</p><p>“I just don’t place a lot of trust in a kooky lady with a handful of cardboard,” he countered. “You make your own fate.”</p><p>“Oh Ei-nii, don’t be such a party pooper!” Kaori scolded him. “It’s just a bit of fun! I’m going to go get a reading, I don’t care what you think!”</p><p>“Urgh…”</p><p>She pulled him over to the tarot stand, where a middle-aged lady in a deep purple kimono knelt behind a low table. She wore a string of pearls around her neck, and her hair was twisted into an elegant top-knot held in place with an elaborate hair stick, a spray of purple silk wisteria weeping down from the end of it. Her eyes, unusual for a Japanese citizen, were a vivid blue, and stood out startlingly bright underneath her dark eyebrows.</p><p>“Welcome, children,” she greeted them, in a voice that seemed unnaturally low for a woman, and didn’t quite fit her appearance. “I’m Madame Tsubaki. I offer soulmate readings using tarot cards, and I have a unique method of charm pulling to gain more insight. I also use a pendulum to ask further questions.”</p><p>“Charm pulling?” Kaori asked curiously, while Eiji rolled his eyes. Madame Tsubaki shook a wooden bowl full of mixed metal and plastic charms in response. They were mostly the kind of tiny charms you might find on a bracelet or necklace, mixed in with scrabble letters, beads, small crystals, and other assorted little knick-knacks and good luck omens.</p><p>“For each reading I will ask you to pull a handful of charms, and they help clarify certain aspects or enhance meanings further. I can gain more knowledge on what your soulmate looks like, for instance, or what their personality is like, or where you might meet them.”</p><p>“Cool!” Kaori said. “I wonder if mine is handsome!”</p><p>“A soulmate isn’t always a lover,” Madame Tsubaki added. “Usually, they become a partner, but sometimes a soulmate is a very close friend, or even a member of your family. You may already know them.”</p><p>“I’m still curious,” Kaori grinned.</p><p>“Readings are ¥500 each,” Madame Tsubaki said.</p><p>“¥500?” Eiji gasped. “We could play at least five games with that sort of money!”</p><p>“Aww, Ei-nii – c’mon! We can eat dango any time – how often are you going to get the chance to have your future told!”</p><p>“My future lies in pole vault, Kaori,” Eiji sniffed. “I don’t need to pay ¥500 to know that.”</p><p>“I’m sensing strange vibes from you, young man,” Madame Tsubaki told him calmly. “Somehow, I don’t think your future will go quite as you have planned. Sometime in the next couple of years, I fear you will experience a great fall.”</p><p>“Yeah, because Mercury is in retrograde or something, I bet…”</p><p>“No, just because pride often comes before one,” Madame Tsubaki said with a small smile. “Tell you what. Just this once, special offer because I like you two, I’ll do you a two-for-one offer. ¥500 for a reading for each of you.”</p><p>“Here,” Kaori handed over her last ¥500 coin. “I’m game!”</p><p>“Fine,” Eiji muttered, settling on one of the cushions Madame Tsubaki had placed by the floor for people to kneel on during the readings.</p><p>“Excellent!” Madame Tsubaki said, pocketing the coin and drawing a deck of cards from under the table. “Who wants to go first?”</p><p>“Me! Me!” Kaori said, pointing at herself excitedly.</p><p>“Alright. Soulmate for Kaori Okumura… Soulmate for Kaori Okumura…” Madame Tsubaki murmured as she shuffled the deck of cards. Eiji watched disinterestedly as she gave Kaori’s reading. The cards said, apparently, she already knew her soulmate, and they were female. Kaori seemed a little disappointed by this, but the charms clarified they were a family member, the same age, and had been soulmates since infanthood.</p><p>“Aha! It’s Hiyoko!” she exclaimed happily. “My cousin! I knew we got along better than most!”</p><p>“You two will be friends for life, helped by the bonds of family, and the strong soulbond you share,” Madame Tsubaki told her. “You have the Three of Cups in your reading. That shows harmony and friendship, especially that of sisterhood. And your charms included the elephant of longevity and the tree of stability and growth. There was the wine glass of good times too. You two are close in all aspects.”</p><p>“Woah, that’s spooky!” Kaori said, eyes lit up with awe as she stared at the cards.</p><p>“No, it’s not,” Eiji said. “She’s judging from your reaction what you want to hear. No offense.”</p><p>“I think you might change your mind after she does your reading,” Kaori said haughtily while Madame Tsubaki just gave him a simpering smile. “I’m interested now too, Ei-nii – who would possibly want to share a soulbond with a boring old jock like you?”</p><p>“Hey!” Eiji frowned.</p><p>“There is someone out there for everyone,” Madame Tsubaki stated calmly, clearing the table from Kaori’s reading and re-shuffling her deck. “Let’s see now…. Soulmate for Eiji Okumura… Soulmate for Eiji Okumura…”</p><p>It hadn’t really registered with Eiji when she had been doing Kaori’s reading, but when had either of them actually given Madame Tsubaki their surname? She could get their first names from them bickering, or at least she could get Kaori’s, but ‘Ei-nii’ could be the pet form of any number of male names, such as Eijiro, or Eisuke. They didn’t have anything with their surname written on it on them… Had she, maybe, recognised them from somewhere? He had been in the newspaper pretty recently for winning that local tournament… maybe then? He was still a little weirded out by it.</p><p>“Soulmate for… Oh! This one jumped right out!”</p><p>The three of wands, upright, stared up at him.</p><p>“Let’s get another couple shall we…” She continued to shuffle, and then pulled five of cups and the nine of swords. “Oh… Oh, that’s… hmm…”</p><p>“What?” Eiji asked, curious now himself.</p><p>“Well, the three of wands jumped out, so that’s important. That represents distance and progress, especially that of overseas opportunity, so I think your soulmate is abroad somewhere, maybe a foreigner…”</p><p>“A foreigner?”</p><p>“It’s these two that concern me though,” she lay a hand on the other two cards. “Five of cups is a very negative card – see how all five cups are spilled? It stands for failure, regret, and disappointment. Something is going to happen, either to you or them, maybe even to both of you, that is going to leave you feeling full of sadness. It also stands for grief. This meeting is not going to be under happy circumstances…”</p><p>“Well, that’s great,” Eiji said sarcastically.</p><p>“The nine of swords backs this up. This card means anxiety and worry, the idea of being kept awake at night with fears, that sort of thing. Whoever you are going to meet in the future, Eiji, has not had the best of starts in life. They are going to be haunted by this.”</p><p>Eiji stared at the card, a woman sat up in bed with her head in her hands weeping, nine swords hanging on the wall behind her. It was such a melancholy-looking card, it almost hurt to look at it.</p><p>“Let me pull a couple more,” Madame Tsubaki continued to shuffle, and another card leapt out the deck. “Five of wands? With the nine of swords and the five of cups? Really?”</p><p>“What does that mean?”</p><p>“Nothing good,” she said. “Five of wands means conflict and tension.”</p><p>“So, I’m going to fight with this person?”</p><p>“Not necessarily. But it’s a pretty good indicator that your relationship with this person will be fraught with dangers. Either they will bring danger to you, or else you will prove to be their weakness. Maybe both.”</p><p>She shuffled and pulled another two cards out.</p><p>“The devil and the emperor in reverse…”</p><p>“What do those mean?” Eiji asked. The tone in her voice suggested it was bad.</p><p>“The devil stands for sexuality, restriction, and inner darkness,” she said. “Notice how the people are chained? They could break free, but the devil holds a lot of power over them, so they remain trapped. And the emperor in reverse is domination and a lack of personal control… oh dear… I think these are strongly linked to this five of wands card. Your soulmate is trapped by something, or someone, and the fact that the devil means sexuality and inner darkness… oh. Oh, that’s heart-breaking!”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“It’s not my place to say,” she said. “The cards are deliberately blocking certain aspects to protect me, I think. I’ll pull two more tarot before moving onto the pendulum and charms… maybe they’ll have more uplifting readings…”</p><p>She shuffled and pulled the strength card out of the deck. Seeing that made her smile.</p><p>“Finally, some good news,” she said, holding up the card. “This person may have been through hell, but they have remained brave and compassionate despite this. They’re a good leader, inspiring, but they will have a soft side. See how the woman is gently holding the lion? The woman stands for innocent strength and courage. The lion is a ferocious wild animal, yet it still allows her to get close to it. I feel this person you meet will have the strength and determination of a wild cat, but they still maintain a gentleness inside them for the people they trust. This is a truly beautiful card to see come up in a soulmate reading.”</p><p>She shuffled a final time, but as she pulled out the last card a second came with it, falling on top of it.</p><p>“I was going to just draw one, but we’ll take both…” she said, looking at them. “The lovers was what I pulled, that’s another beautiful card to see in a soulmate reading for obvious reasons and… oh… oh no. The ten of swords…”</p><p>“What’s that mean?”</p><p>“Painful endings, sorrow and loss,” she said sadly. “The fact it fell on top of the lovers too… Oh Gods, this is one of the darkest readings I think I’ve ever given anyone!”</p><p>“Good job it’s all a load of crap then, huh Ei-nii,” Kaori told him, a grim smile on her face.</p><p>“Yeah…” Eiji murmured.</p><p>“It fell out on its side though, so it’s hard to tell if the card is reversed or upright. Reversed, it means recovery, and resisting an inevitable end. That’s a little more positive. With it being on its side, that indicated a dual meaning. Maybe loss and sorrow, but there will be recovery afterwards, or its bittersweet. It’s something they wanted.”</p><p>“Who on Earth would want pain and loss for themselves?” Eiji pondered aloud.</p><p>“Let’s start with the pendulum. This usually gives us some description on how the person will look.” Madame Tsubaki pulled out a rose quartz crystal on a length of cord, and a notebook. “We’ll start with hair colour, seeing as the three of wands energy could indicate a foreigner…” She wrote down the words ‘black’, ‘brown’, ‘light brown’, ‘blonde’, ‘red’, and ‘dyed’ onto the first clean page of the notebook, before holding the pendulum over the page and watching it sway erratically. Very quickly, its swing settled with a definite swish of the little stone towards the ‘blonde’ marker. “I knew it,” she said. “A foreigner. A blonde foreigner.”</p><p>“Blonde, huh?” Eiji murmured.</p><p>“Again, with them being a foreigner, lets take a look at eye colour.”</p><p>“This is really interesting,” Kaori said, as Madame Tsubaki scribbled ‘brown’, ‘blue’, and ‘green’ on the next page. “Far more interesting than my reading!” She set the pendulum swaying, and it swung strongly over the ‘green’ marker.</p><p>“Blonde hair, green eyes… foreign…” Madame Tsubaki picked up the devil card for emphasis. “Sexuality… I get the impression this person is very attractive.”</p><p>“Woooooo!” Kaori teased him, nudging him with her elbow. “Get you, you player!”</p><p>“An attractive foreigner with a horrible past that will put me in danger…” he responded. “Kind of think I’d prefer a plain local girl at this rate!”</p><p>“Where’s the fun in that though,” Kaori snorted.</p><p>“Let’s take a look at when you might meet them…” Madame Tsubaki had already got a page with timeframes written on it from previous readings, so she turned to that. When she’d used it for Kaori, the pendulum had circled the ‘now’ option. For Eiji, it swung softly over ‘2 years’.</p><p>“So two years from now, I’m going to somehow encounter an attractive blonde foreigner who will probably make me miserable, but it's fine because we’re soulmates,” Eiji said.</p><p>“I think your charm pull will be pretty interesting,” Madame Tsubaki told him, putting the pendulum away. “Honestly, this is one of the deepest readings I think I’ve ever gotten for anyone!”</p><p>“Well, at least I’m good for something,” Eiji said, smiling awkwardly, “even if it is woe in the cards!”</p><p>“Swirl your hand in those charms and take a handful for me, please,” Madame Tsubaki instructed him. She held out a tray for him to drop the assorted little trinkets on with a soft patter, like hail on a rooftop. She poked around at the little figures and elements he had selected, a pensive frown creasing her forehead. “Hmm… interesting…”</p><p>She first pushed the three scrabble letters to the side, an A, a J, and a C.</p><p>“Letters can indicate a name, or a place. They’re not spelling anything clearly, but… initials maybe? See here – another A,” she picked up a bottle cap with the hiragana for ‘A’ printed on it. “A is meaningful here. Maybe their name starts with it, or it has some significance to them.”</p><p>She picked up a little metal person, wearing a robe and holding a torch aloft. “America!” she said. “This goes with that three of wands energy – this person is American.” Eiji squinted and saw the charm was of the Lady Liberty, a book in her hand and distinct spiked headdress on her head. “You have an apple charm here too, see?” She gently tapped a silver apple pendant to the side. “They call New York the Big Apple, and seeing as the American charm we have is the Statue of Liberty, I’m getting strong vibes for that city. However, the apple is also indicative of sin and forbidden knowledge, so… this person lives in the shadows of America. Not the bright land of the free you see in the movies. That makes a lot of sense looking at your card reading.”</p><p>She pointed out a crouched lion, looking like it was about to pounce. “More lion energy, like that strength card. The strength and tenacity of a wildcat. And if we put that together with this here,” she picked up a tiny pewter pistol, which looked like it came from a toy cowboy, “a fighter. A strong will. Also, a lot of masculine energy in this pull. I think… I think this person may be male.”</p><p>“Something you’re not telling me, Ei-nii?” Kaori snickered.</p><p>“Shut up,” Eiji responded. “Your soulmate was our cousin, so you’re one to talk!”</p><p>Madame Tsubaki concentrated on a charm of the sun next, a tiny disk of copper with wavy spikes encircling it. “Brightness, burning with passion. But this sun charm… I have two. The other one is gold, the midday sun. This one, the copper one, has always indicated either dawn or dusk, a rising or falling star. The sun shows energy and drive, and people are drawn to them, but because it is a star, they run the risk of burning out as well.”</p><p>There was a green marble, a cat’s eye, rolling around in the tray. “Green again. Remember the pendulum and eye colour? And more cat energy. Clarity and vision, forward planning. I think this person is organised, and carefully honed to be the best they can be. And there’s a beauty in that – like the marble.”</p><p>An aeroplane and a little passport with a heart on it. “Travel. Again, that idea that they are not Japanese. You will have to travel to find them.”</p><p>“Remind me never to travel,” Eiji muttered to Kaori. “I’m not sure I want to meet this person…”</p><p>A couple of beads with words on them were in the mix. One said ‘loyalty’ and another ‘trust’ and there were no less than three metal heart charms of varying types, as well as a rose. Madame Tsubaki actually smiled at those, a genuine little look of joy tweaking her lips up. “You may change your mind – look how much love and devotion is here. This person will be absolutely smitten with you. You may be in danger, but they would rather die than let any harm befall you.” There was a tiny dog, a monopoly playing piece. “Here’s that loyalty again, that dogged devotion to those they care about. Paired with the lion, and the pistol, that’s a pretty terrifying combination.”</p><p>Eiji noticed a couple of charms Madame Tsubaki was ignoring; a camera, a fake moustache charm from a bracelet, and a griffin. The griffin was probably just more of that ‘lion energy’ she was talking about. He was especially drawn to the camera and the moustache for some reason though. He kind of wanted to push them over by the aeroplane and the passport. There was a tiny little pewter soldier too, and a wolf’s head. He felt that those two and the griffin formed yet another group, although he didn’t understand why. Interestingly enough, there was also a little pewter fish, and a tiny plastic banana with a smiley face on it.</p><p>“A scholars’ cap,” she picked up a little mortarboard charm, “and a book,” a tiny dollhouse book made of paper, “and – look – an owl. Three intellectual charms in one pull – combined with the cat’s eye, see, that indication of sharpness and perfection. This person is very smart. They will put a lot of pride in their intelligence. The owl as well… not a morning person. Cat and owl energy together, very much someone who does all their best thinking in darkness. And you have the imp here…” There was a charm of a Cornish pixie, little elven face screwed up in a cheeky grin. “To put it bluntly, they’re a tease.”</p><p>“Oh fabulous,” Eiji muttered. “So not only am I going to be in danger with them, they’re probably going to bully me!”</p><p>“They do say that, in the playground, if someone picks on you, it means they like you a lot,” Kaori tittered.</p><p>“And the baby,” a little plastic baby wearing a nappy smiled up from the tray, “shows they’re younger than you.” Madame Tsubaki declared.</p><p>“Hahaha, you’re going to get bullied by a child!” Kaori laughed.</p><p>“Nothing new there then,” he grumbled.</p><p>“This worries me though…” Madame Tsubaki pointed at a raven charm, etched like a Viking symbol on a flat piece of tin. “Ravens are a bad omen. They can mean loneliness, or death. It concerns me that this has come up, especially with that ten of swords card. However, ravens are powerful symbols in Nordic symbology. They can mean war, but also safe harbour, as well as memories. Maybe it means that this person will come to you for security when they’re feeling threatened.”</p><p>“So, what we’ve narrowed it down to, is that I’m going to meet a smart, attractive, blonde American, who will bully me and bring danger to me, but it’s alright because he loves me and he’s probably going to cry on me when he’s scared,” Eiji stated blandly.</p><p>“I only read what the cards and charms tell me,” Madame Tsubaki said mysteriously. “You can take away from this what you will. It’s all just a load of superstitious nonsense anyway, right?”</p><p>“Right…” he said, sounding just a little bit dubious. How the cards and charms had slotted together had unnerved him a little, but… it was all just mind games and coincidence.</p><p>“One more thing before you go, Eiji,” Madame Tsubaki said, collecting the cards back together and replacing the charms into the wooden bowl ready for another person to draw from. “Cat energy is full of pride and can be easily damaged. Cats are skittish and quick to lash out or flee. If you ever meet this person… be kind to them. Like any feral cat, it can take time to win their trust, but they will sense kindness and will cling to it. However, they are just as likely to push you away – cats are highly independent and secretive creatures, so don’t be surprised if it takes time for them to open up to you.”</p><p>“It’s not like I’m ever going to meet this mysterious dark omen of a person,” he shrugged. “But this was interesting. Well worth ¥500.”</p><p>“Safe travels,” she wished him, smiling serenely. “Trust the monkey but beware the viper!”</p><p>“The heck does that mean?” Eiji muttered as he and Kaori stood and left the table, blending back into the festival crowd.</p><p>“I dunno,” Kaori shrugged. “I’m kinda hungry anyway… you want some Takoyaki?”</p><p>Within half-an-hour, Eiji had practically forgotten the entire reading Madame Tsubaki had given him. She had been correct though; fourteen months later, he had indeed suffered a catastrophic fall, fluffing a jump and shattering his ankle. His pride in tatters, his future uncertain, a moustached photographer had taken him with him to New York, where he met an intelligent, highly attractive, blonde teenage boy, with a lot of cat-like vibes…</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This was originally going to be a one-shot, but I enjoyed writing the first chapter so much (and people genuinely seemed to find it interesting) that I decided to add a second chapter featuring Ash and Shorter, and Madame Tsubaki on a global jaunt. She is a mysterious lady, and I'm not 100% sure she's human...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Japan Block Fair?” Ash said, staring at Shorter with a disbelieving frown when he saw where his friend had dragged him. “Really? You know I’m short on money! I can’t afford no damn cultural expo!”</p><p>“I thought it would be different!” he shrugged. “I’ll pay for everything, my treat! Besides, Nadia wants me to see if I can find some mirin and sake to use in the Chang Dai. She’s keen to try running theme weekends, trying different Asian foods and stuff…”</p><p>“They won’t sell you sake, you’re underage,” Ash reminded him.</p><p>“Never stopped me before,” Shorter smirked. “Bat your eyelashes a little, act all sweet… I can convince anyone to sell me anything!”</p><p>“Or you could just threaten them.”</p><p>“Or I could just threaten them,” he nodded. “Always straight to violence with you.”</p><p>Ash was sixteen, and since getting out of juvie just under a year ago he had been spending more and more time with Shorter Wong, a boy a couple of years older than him who he had met while incarcerated. The shaven Chinese boy was interesting and fun to hang out with, his fashion sense showy and his personality outgoing, dragging him into parts of the city he otherwise would never have visited, and helping him become a little more open and confident as a person. Being friends with the head of a rival gang also offered beneficial protection and boons, and a strong alliance had been formed between his own gang and the Chinatown mafia because of it. He could also learn a lot about how to be a good leader from Shorter; he’d only taken charge of his gang very recently, a knife fight for honour and revenge knocking the previous asshole out of his seat of power, and if Ash was honest the position of authority scared him. It was insanely difficult to manage everyone, and he was quickly discovering that keeping everyone happy was impossible. Life had been so much simpler when he was a lone wolf. All he could do was try and be fair, forge as many allegiances as he could, and on occasion remind miscreants that he was one dangerous beast when crossed.  </p><p>Shorter brought them a serving of Takoyaki to share from one of the venders, and they huddled together in an open doorway eating the doughy balls and huffing when the hot interiors burned their mouths.</p><p>“I didn’t think octopus was supposed to be the temperature of the Sun!” Shorter exclaimed, fanning his mouth and gasping around the blistering heat.</p><p>“Good though,” Ash said, spearing a second from the tray and blowing on it to try and cool it down.</p><p>“You would say that, it’s fish…” Shorter murmured. “It’s good to see you eating though – you look way too skinny to me! When was the last time you ate properly?”</p><p>“Yesterday evening,” Ash lied. In truth, he’d survived on mainly small snacks for the last week, and not many of them either. Most of his money went on looking after his older brother, who he was secretly caring for in his dingy little apartment alone, and he barely had anything left over to support himself with once his rent and treatment costs were paid. He did what he could to make ends meet, but some weeks on the street were not very profitable. Besides which, Dino used to punish him if he got too fat; he was worth more if he was skinny and nubile, and food was often withheld from him as a punishment when he’d been living in the mansion. As a consequence, he’d been struggling on and off for years with undiagnosed eating disorders, made all the worse by the fact he had nobody looking out for him until recently.</p><p>“A bag of chips doesn’t count, Ash,” Shorter frowned. “You better be careful, or Nadia will notice and start feeding you up!”</p><p>“It wasn’t a bag of chips,” he said. “It was a tuna mayo sandwich.”</p><p>“Look man, if you’re struggling, we always have plenty of leftovers at the Chang Dai… You’re welcome to as much as you like!”</p><p>“I’m fine,” Ash said, using a tone that effectively ended the conversation. He didn’t want to accept charity, or feel like he owed anyone anything. Too many times in the past he’d been burned. He shoved the dough ball into his mouth and chewed it violently, Shorter giving him this strange pitying look. They finished the rest of the Takoyaki in silence.</p><p>Most of the stalls at the street fair were food related, selling various Japanese street foods that scented the air with the perfume of warm soy sauce and grilled meats. Shorter managed to source mirin from an old salesman, but, like Ash suspected, nobody would sell him sake. When someone asked him what he was buying it for and he explained, a kind lady suggested using rice wine as a substitute if it was just for cooking use, rice wine being incredibly common and easy to source in Chinatown. Grateful for the tip, they’d moved on. Shorter then brought him some grilled mystery meat on a stick (they had no clue what it was exactly, although Ash suspected it was beef steak seasoned with pepper), and they ate it as they walked through the crowds. Towards one end of the block were a few craft stalls and Japanese festival stands, where kids clustered and attempted to do Katanuki – pin-cutting – on sugar tiles. Problem is, many American kids lack the patience of the Japanese, and several were having tantrums as they failed to complete the delicate task of gently pressing a shape from the tile with a needle.</p><p>“Woah, hey, check this out!” Shorter pointed to an interesting looking stand, tucked in a corner away from the others. A middle-aged lady in a deep purple kimono was perched neatly on a cushion, her hair up in an immaculate bun, a wisteria hair stick (Ash assumed wisteria; the little silk flowers were lilac and cascaded down from the stick in a delicate waterfall, but while he knew many things about science and maths, botany wasn’t his strongest suit) holding it in place. She’d got a string of cheap-looking pearls, costume jewellery, adorning her neck, and a banner above her table proclaimed ‘Madame Tsubaki’s World Tour’.</p><p>“Tsubaki, huh?” Ash murmured, as Shorter pulled him over curiously.</p><p>“Welcome, children,” she greeted them, a smile fixed in place, her voice strangely deep and mellow for a woman, making her sound a lot older than she looked. Her English was accented, but natively fluent, and her eyes were a bright and startling blue. “My name is Madame Tsubaki. It means 'camelia' in Japanese, which is also known as the flower of love and the divine. I offer soulmate readings using tarot cards, pendulum readings, and charm pulling.”</p><p>“Tarot cards?” Ash frowned. “No thanks. C’mon Shorter, let’s go…”</p><p>“No wait, Ash… I’m interested.”</p><p>“Shorter, it’s all a load of trash! There’s nothing scientific or logical – it’s just a load of new-age shit!”</p><p>“A lot of people say that,” Madame Tsubaki said mildly, that same smile still firmly affixed.</p><p>“Nadia saw a palm reader once, and he was spookily accurate…” Shorter added. “Although he also said she’d start dating a ginger man who spends more time in the police station than out of it, and that hasn’t happened yet.”</p><p>“It’s a con!” Ash insisted.</p><p>“It is just parlour tricks and vague interpretation, when all said and done,” Madame Tsubaki responded, holding up a hand. “I never claim to be right or wrong, or that my predictions are set or even legitimate. The wheel of fate is fickle and keeps turning, but is wanton to change paths and act erratically.”</p><p>“Uh huh…” Ash murmured. “Shorter, let’s go-“</p><p>“How much?”</p><p>“$5 per reading,” Madame Tsubaki told Shorter.</p><p>“See, I told you it’s a con!” Ash hissed at him. He’d sold hand jobs for less, something he wasn’t proud of, but it kept the wolf from the door when every cent counted.</p><p>“I like you two though, so I’m willing to strike a deal. I will read both your fortunes for the price of one. You can’t say fairer than that,” Madame Tsubaki offered.</p><p>“Oh – deal!” Shorter said, slapping a $5 bill down on her table.</p><p>“Shorter!” Ash groaned.</p><p>“Lighten up, man!” Shorter told him, taking a seat in front of her table and dragging Ash down with him. “It’s just a bit of fun!”</p><p>“Which of you handsome young men wants to go first?” Madame Tsubaki asked, pulling a deck of cards from the sleeve of her kimono and shuffling them lazily.</p><p>“All yours, man,” Ash shrugged, offering the first round to Shorter.</p><p>“Awesome – let's do this!” he said, clapping his hands together once and smiling at Madame Tsubaki.</p><p>“Okay, let’s start. Soulmate for Shorter Wong… Soulmate for Shorter Wong…”</p><p>Ash zoned out for most of his reading, choosing to instead people watch as the busy folk of New York hustled past them. He caught snippets of the reading, enough to gather that Shorter’s cards were apparently ‘muddled, and giving mixed messages’. His charm pull was much the same, and the pendulum never settled.</p><p>“It is unusual, but… not everyone is destined to find their soulmate,” Madame Tsubaki told him sadly. “It saddens me that I cannot gather any information from this reading at all! Most unusual, this only happens once in a blue moon. Usually something comes through. All I hope is that the drawing of the tower and the death card together just means great changes in your future, and isn’t an omen of things to come. There’s a lot of animal energy in your charm pull, some good, some bad… Lion, dove, wolf… they all seem secure. The monkey too, I have the feeling that charm is benign, despite being known for mischief… But the viper over here worries me. The Caduceus too – a medical symbol sticks out too much in this reading, so I think it’s important. Five of swords with the nine of wands, and the reversed magician too… Betrayal. Be careful who you trust, and know who your friends are.”</p><p>“Well, that kind of sucks,” Shorter said, scratching the back of his head. Ash snorted.</p><p>“I’m sorry that the cards can be of no further help. I specialise in soulmate readings, and a lot of what I see here is beyond my comprehension,” Madame Tsubaki told him sadly, dropping the charms back into the wooden bowl ready for the next reading. “All I can say is: be careful.”</p><p>“I’m always careful,” Shorter told her with a flippant grin. “You don’t need to worry about me!”</p><p>“I sure hope that is the case, Mr. Wong…”</p><p>“Hopefully, Ash’s reading will be better, eh?” he said merrily, slapping Ash on the back.</p><p>“I am already getting good vibes from the cards for Mr. Lynx,” Madame Tsubaki said, re-shuffling her deck.</p><p>“Wait… how the hell do you-“</p><p>“Soulmate for Ash Lynx… Soulmate… for Ash Lynx,” she murmured into the cards, ignoring him. Ash couldn’t remember Shorter using his full street name in front of her, so where had she got the Lynx from? He did hold a little infamy on the streets, but how would a Japanese fortune teller know who he was? Come to think of it, she’d called Shorter by his full name too.</p><p>“Aha, the first card flipped right out there!”</p><p>The Knight of Swords.</p><p>“Upright Knight of Swords,” she said nodding knowingly. “Lots of messages can be gained from just this card alone. For a start, the knight is a traveller – they will have come a great distance to meet you. It is also a card that symbolises bravery and action, someone not afraid to run into danger or voice an opinion. There’s an additional meaning to this card specifically in soulmate readings too – it means finding love when you least expect it.”</p><p>“See, your reading is already better than mine, and you’ve only had one card pulled!” Shorter pouted.</p><p>“Let’s get another couple out of here,” Madame Tsubaki said, drawing two more cards. “Right… we have The Sun and The Queen of Cups. Oh, those are beautiful cards to see together!”</p><p>“Why?” Ash asked, curiosity beginning to bubble inside him despite his deep-seated belief that this was all nonsense.</p><p>“The Sun stands for positivity, warmth, and joy. Also, an almost childish optimism. A sunny disposition, you could say. And the Queen of Cups is sensitivity, compassion, and intuition. This person is caring and puts others at ease with their presence. There’s a lot of motherly instinct with this card. Not necessarily a mother themselves, or even female, but they will want to care for you. Queen of Cups is a natural healer too – they are very good at finding and helping people in need.”</p><p>“He needs all the help he can get,” Shorter snorted.</p><p>“Shut up…” Ash growled.</p><p>“This person will give it and more,” Madame Tsubaki assured them, shuffling the deck more. Another card fell out, and she picked it up. “Oh dear, this one’s not so good. Five of Cups.”</p><p>“What does that mean?” Ash asked.</p><p>“Regret, failure, disappointment, and grief,” she explained. “See how the cups are spilled. Hmm… it landed partially on the Sun card when it fell out too. I have a feeling something happened to this person in the past that left them feeling lost or downhearted. They will cover up their darkness with their optimistic personality, but there will always be seeds of doubt and low self esteem hiding under the surface. A lot of the time when I see this card it means that person is prone to depression, especially following defeat or loss, because they see it as a personal failing. Together with the sensitivity of the Queen of Cups, they will always be concerned about their usefulness to others, and will fear failure most of all.”</p><p>“Sounds a bit of a handful,” Ash murmured.</p><p>“Potentially,” Madame Tsubaki said, “although provided you stress how important they are to you, especially if you find them doubting themselves, you can negate most of this negativity.”</p><p>“Basically, she’s telling you not to be the loveable asshole you usually are,” Shorter told him, eyes shining gleefully behind his sunglasses.</p><p>“Let’s get another couple, then we can start using the pendulum to gain more information on appearance and when to expect a meeting.” Madame Tsubaki pulled two cards, and a third fell with them. “It fell out, so we’ll take it,” she said, laying out the cards. She picked up the card that fell first. “So we have the Strength card here – I always love seeing this card in my readings. It stands for courage, compassion, inner strength and patience. This fits nicely with this Knight of Swords, here, the same courageous bravery, but also innocence. Both cards have strong innocence connotations – the Knight is on a white horse, and the lady in the Strength card is gentle and wearing the white robe of innocence. See how she’s able to tame the lion so easily? The cat trusts her absolutely. It takes a certain someone to walk up to a lion so boldly.”</p><p>“Or a Lynx for that matter…” Shorter sniggered. Ash glared at him, emerald eyes flashing, and he shut up immediately.</p><p>“The Strength card also stands for passion and security. When I see this in soulmate reading, I know the connection between the two will be especially strong.”</p><p>“Wooo – get you, lover boy!” Shorter whistled. Ash tutted at him.</p><p>“We also have two pentacle cards here… These usually show wealth and knowledge. These two together are nice to see – the Six of Pentacles and the Eight of Pentacles. Six shows generosity, particularly towards others. It doesn’t always mean the giving of money either. It can mean time or services. It links nicely again with the Queen of Cups - this person will be willing to give a lot of themselves to you and won’t necessarily expect anything in return. Eight is learning a new craft or career. I’m feeling this is linked to this Five of Cups card… Whatever happened in the past, they are trying to overcome it now. You will meet them while they’re undergoing a change in self, maybe discovering a new talent or undergoing education or apprenticeship in a new career.”</p><p>“Someone who doesn’t expect anything in return?” Ash asked, an eyebrow quirked upwards sceptically. “That’d be a first! Everybody wants something…”</p><p>“I feel drawn to pull another card for you… This is a nice reading, but… Sometimes the deck calls to me.” She pulled the top card. “The Tower! Sudden change. Alright, so, once you meet this person, a lot of things are going to start happening very fast.”</p><p>“What kind of things are we talking here?” Ash queried, resting his chin on his fist pensively.</p><p>“That the cards are not revealing,” Madame Tsubaki said, “but with the Knight of Swords here, I expect one of those sudden changes will be the depth of your feelings. You will meet this person, and it will almost be like… I want to say love at first sight, but more likely events will just act as a catalyst to your emotions. You are going to fall for this person very quickly though, and I feel that a lot of important things are going to happen once you meet them. Hmm… one more card, see if I can get any insight into those events…”</p><p>She flipped the top card, and the Three of Swords glared back.</p><p>“Ah…” Madame Tsubaki exclaimed, her tone surprised and tinged with sadness. “Three of Swords… Oh, I hate this card!”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Emotional pain, sorrow, grief, heartbreak… This is such a lovely reading, but to see this card come up at the end… I should have stopped. I shouldn’t have tried to find insight – the cards tried to warn me!”</p><p>“Lady, what are you going on about?”</p><p>“There is going to be a lot of emotional strife ahead for you, young man,” she told him. “For you and this person… I think… I think maybe even more for this person than for yourself. There’s so much sensitivity and compassion in this reading… I fear… I fear you will do something, or else something will happen, or both, that is going to seriously hurt them.”</p><p>“What, like, we’ll break up?” Ash shrugged. “Lots of people do that. Not exactly world-ending.”</p><p>“Lots of people break up, yes, but I think this is more than that. And even if it is something as simple as a relationship failing, this is still your soulmate. It’s going to hurt – both them and you!”</p><p>“They’ll get over it,” he huffed.                </p><p>“In time, maybe, but they will be forever changed,” she responded. “Let’s put the cards aside for now. I’d like to try and gain a bit more information on what this person looks like.”</p><p>She pulled out the crystal on a string and the notebook she had used for Shorter, turning to the hair colour page. Ash could read the words ‘blonde’, ‘light brown’, ‘dark brown’, ‘red’, ‘black’ and ‘dyed’ written in a circle. She held the pendulum above the colours and set it swaying. Unlike Shorter’s erratic reading, his was very clear, swinging firmly over the ‘black’ option.</p><p>“Black hair… Alright, let’s look at the eye colour.”</p><p>She repeated the process on another page with common eye colours written down, the pendulum settling over ‘brown’.</p><p>“Well, that hardly narrows things down,” Ash sniffed. “I run with the Chinese and several Black people – that literally describes more than half the people I know!”</p><p>“Still narrows it down though,” she smiled back. “You also just inadvertently expressed a possible preference for men… Tell me, are you not expecting your soulmate to be female?”</p><p>“What? I dunno… Maybe? I don’t really care that much about gender,” Ash responded. He’d known for a couple of years now that he was bisexual, with a preference towards men. He wasn’t certain if the preferential swing was due to his past trauma and current side profession, he unfortunately being more used to dealing with a male body than a female one, but his orientation would had been set since birth. He liked both, although due to his past he avoided intimacy, and the last time he had had anything close to a relationship they had been female. “There a problem with that?”</p><p>“I see,” Madame Tsubaki nodded. “No problem at all! Love is love when all is said and done, and a soulmate isn’t always a lover, although judging from your cards this person will most certainly be closer to you than a friend. Whether or not the two of you will be lovers is unclear, but you will both be in love, maybe in the way lovers are.”</p><p>“Aww, that’s sweet!” Shorter said.</p><p>“Hmm…” Ash said.</p><p>“Let’s see if we can judge when you will meet this person,” Madame Tsubaki said, turning the page in the notebook again to a vague selection of timeframes, ranging from ‘now’ to ‘a few weeks’ to ‘several years’. She held the pendulum again, and it tentatively swished over ‘1 year’. “One year, but it’s faint… so it could be nearer a year and a half maybe?”</p><p>“That rules out the people you already hang with then,” Shorter told him. “It won’t be one of my boys!”</p><p>“Wouldn’t want one of your rowdy lot anyway…” Ash grumbled.</p><p>“Time for my favourite part of the reading,” Madame Tsubaki said, shaking the bowl of charms in his general direction. “Mix them around a bit and pick a random handful for me please.”</p><p>Ash did as she asked, depositing a decent number of charms on the offered tray. Madame Tsubaki poked them around a little, separating them out so they were easier to see. She picked up two, a wistful glee filling her expression as she stared at something that looked like a simplified version of the gates at the entry to Chinatown, and an oval doll like a Russian Matroska with a huge, grotesque face.</p><p>“A Torii gate and a Daruma doll,” she smiled. “Black hair, brown eyes… Knight of Swords showing they will travel a long way to find you… And here, look!” she picked up a five-petaled flower. “Sakura blossom. I am confident that this person is Japanese! Not only that, but the sakura is a symbol of bravery, an industrious spirit, love, and joy, so it matches really well with your tarot.”</p><p>“Japanese?” Ash murmured, frowning slightly.</p><p>“Where the heck are you going to find a Japanese person?” Shorter asked him. Ash stared at him like he’d just asked the world’s dumbest question before gesturing vaguely around them at the Japanese street festival, conveniently full of Japanese people.</p><p>“Quite a lot of them in New York,” he said sarcastically. “Tourist and business hub of America – Japanese people are, like, two a penny in Times Square!”</p><p>“You know what I mean, man,” Shorter said.</p><p>“This one will be special,” Madame Tsubaki assured him. “They won’t be random. When you meet them, you’ll know.”</p><p>“Guess you’ll just have to be on the lookout from now on,” Shorter quipped. Ash elbowed him hard.</p><p>“Birds,” Madame Tsubaki pointed out four bird charms, one the same little silver dove Shorter’s charm set had pulled, but there was also a little crane, a bluebird, and an eagle. “That’s a lot of bird energy in one pull… Rarely do you ever get that much of one type of animal vibe. Bird energy is predominantly carefree and innocent, but each one has a separate reading too. The eagle stands for freedom and strength, which matches pretty strongly with your cards... The dove for peace… a pacifist? Sensitive too, again matching with those cards, that Queen of Cups kindness. The crane is symbolic of healing, hope, and happiness – and it also adds to the Japanese vibe I’m getting from these other charms. The bluebird also means happiness, and friendliness. Joyful little songbirds that everybody likes – a genuinely likeable person, and probably cute rather than, how would you say? Hot?”</p><p>There was a deer charm amongst the birds, specifically a female deer.</p><p>“A doe. Gentleness. Also athleticism… Agility and grace… Wait…” There was a tiny trophy charm next to the deer. “Competitive sports? Hmm… Five of Cups… Trophy… I think… I think this may be linked to that regret and failure. They are athletic, but something happened… Look here,” she held up what looked like a tiny walking stick, “a crutch. An injury.”</p><p>“That’d end a career in sports pretty sharply,” Shorter nodded.</p><p>There were three scrabble letters in the charms that Madame Tsubaki pulled aside; an E, a J, and an I. She paused as she looked at the letters, looking back up at Ash with a strange expression, and then back down at them, a tiny knowing smile quirking her lips as if the universe had just revealed something important to her.</p><p>“This is a name,” she said confidently, looking up at Ash again.</p><p>“Edgy?” Shorter said. “What sort of name is that?”</p><p>“Street name maybe?” Ash shrugged.</p><p>There was a bead with the word ‘trust’ written on it, one with ‘faith’, two heart charms, and a teddy bear holding a heart.</p><p>“Deep affection,” Madame Tsubaki said, grouping them together. “Trust and devotion. This person will stand by you come what may. They may not always agree with you, but they will always be on your side. And the teddy bear… safety and security. Like how a child feels when they’re hugging their favourite toy at night.”</p><p>Madame Tsubaki ignored a tiny camera charm, pushing it aside. It rested next to another two charms that she ignored; a little enamelled Hawaiian shirt, and a police officer’s cap. There was also the same caduceus charm that Shorter had pulled, a tiny silver dagger, and a flat charm of the theatre masks showing comedy and tragedy. None of those could mean good things, he thought, but then the caduceus was also the symbol of healing. He didn’t think it meant that this time though… Were there links to Shorter’s reading? There was also a tiny mortarboard cap, and Ash felt that maybe this person was in college. Were they smart like he was? Probably not, but they were at least bright enough for college. And was that… a plastic banana? It could be a crescent moon as well, but Madame Tsubaki wasn’t paying it much heed. There was a disc with the Pisces symbol on it under the banana-moon, and something Griff muttered regularly wandered into his conscious thoughts.</p><p><em>Banana Fish</em>.</p><p>He suddenly realised the level of vested interest he was taking, and reminded himself that he was being irrational. The charms meant nothing. None of this meant anything.</p><p>Madame Tsubaki focused her attention on a charm of the sun.</p><p>“The golden sun! Midday sun, full of bright, happy energy and confidence,” she said. “More sun energy - this person will light up your life!”</p><p>She pointed out a little pewter knight, dressed in medieval armour.</p><p>“More knighthood readings. Very strong feelings of valour and more courage, but also a high level of morality. They will always want to do the right thing but… With the Trust and Faith over here,” she pointed to the beads again, “they probably won’t have too many qualms in joining you for a crusade, if they feel it’s for the greater good. They trust your instincts and believe in you as a person, even if you don’t always believe in yourself. However, this,” there was a little steel axe, “shows a tendency towards reckless behaviour. This can be dangerous when paired with all the bravery readings I’m getting. Expect this person to sometimes act in a way you find unpredictable or risky, especially when cornered. I wouldn’t call it a bad attribute, as such – sometimes acting in a way people don’t expect can be beneficial – but it may be something to be aware of when you make any plans. Just bear in mind that this person may not always follow the rules.”</p><p>There was a peace sign, the three-pronged fork in a circle that had become popular in the 50s and 60s.</p><p>“Peace. Again, very strong pacifist vibes here. They are not a violent person at all. And here,” a little angel, with praying hands, “the angel. A very good and sweet-natured person. But also remember that angels can be terrifying, depending on context. They’re powerful beings capable of both great love and great destruction.”</p><p>There was a single button, blue in colour, with four holes to attach it to a garment.</p><p>“Aww, cute as a button,” Madame Tsubaki cooed, pointing it out. “I love the button charm – it means that you’re going to find this person adorable. That matches with the bluebird. Just… this is someone with a very youthful vibe, and probably a baby face.”</p><p>“So, they’re cute and too pure and kind for this world,” Ash stated blandly. “It’s beginning to sound too good to be true, Lady!”</p><p>“The imp too,” she poked a little Cornish Pixie, neatly curled with its legs drawn to its chest, a pointed hat on its head. “They’re mischievous. You’ll have a lot of fun with them, and there’ll probably be a lot of back and forth, give and take, when it comes to joking around with them. They won’t be mean or malicious in any way, but they may tease you… If you have any irrational fears, you may want to keep them secret.”</p><p>“Do you have any phobias?” Shorter asked him, genuinely curious. “Only you really don’t seem the type.”</p><p>“She literally just said to keep them secret!” Ash countered.</p><p>“Oh hoh? That means you do!” Shorter teased him. “I wonder what it is? Is it rats? No, you see them all the time on the subway and don’t even flinch. Spiders? I don’t like spiders either. Oh – what about snakes?”</p><p>“No, no, and no,” Ash said. He sighed before adding, “You’ll never guess. It’s a really obscure thing, and will probably never come up. It’s nothing.” As long as Ash continued to avoid Hallowe’en, like he did every year, nobody need find out about <em>that. </em></p><p>“You know I’m going to keep guessing now until I find out, right?” Shorter poked him. “You can’t keep it a secret from your best friend forever!”</p><p>“You keep pressing my buttons, and I will shoot you in the dick!” Ash threatened him.</p><p>Madame Tsubaki picked up a tumbled rock that appeared to subtly change colour as she twisted it in the light. It had a light greenish-blue hue with an iridescent sheen.</p><p>“This little charm is a double-edged sword,” she explained, frowning just slightly, a little crease between her eyebrows. “The opal can symbolise love, passion, and devotion, as well as happiness, faithfulness, purity, and healing, all of which back up everything else the cards and charms have told us, but on the flip side it can also be a bad omen. In Russia, for instance, it can symbolise the evil eye, and means someone is watching you, not always with good intentions. During the 19<sup>th</sup> Century, it became associated with bad luck and death.“</p><p>The word association between Russia and being watched with dubious objectives instantly flashed an image of Blanca through his mind. He shuddered a little; as much as he respected his old teacher, the enigmatic Russian terrified him. If Blanca had you in his sights, then there was no escape. The very last thing he would want is for this cute, innocent, kind, currently unknown Japanese person to end up in his viewfinder.</p><p>Not that it would be an issue, because tarot was a load of bull.</p><p>“The last charm in here that interests me is this one,” Madame Tsubaki said, pointing to a flowerhead charm. “It’s a chrysanthemum. This could just be more of that Japanese culture – they are featured on the Imperial Seal of Japan and are closely associated with the Emperor. In Japan, chrysanthemums are a positive symbol, representing the season of fall, beauty, and, of course, the divinity of the Emperor. It could just be backing up the sakura charm – spring and fall are Japan’s most beautiful of seasons, so may indicate someone with a beautiful soul, or who appreciates beauty themselves. They might see beauty where others wouldn’t, or be creative. China also sees chrysanthemums as a symbol of life and longevity. However, Western culture, especially Europe, uses them as a graveside flower, and they are more commonly associated with bereavement and loss, as well as bad luck and even poor health. Like the opal, outside of the East this flower omen carries double meaning. I just hope that, this time, it carries the Asian meaning, rather than that of the West.”</p><p>“You and me both, Lady,” Ash said pensively.</p><p>“Hah, doth mine eyes deceive me, or are you really getting into this?” Shorter teased.</p><p>“No,” Ash denied. “Of course not! It’s just a load of hocus pocus!”</p><p>“Take from my readings what you will, Mr. Lynx. They’re not always accurate, but most people find some meaning in them eventually,” Madame Tsubaki said cryptically.</p><p>“Except me,” Shorter said with humour. “Apparently, I am un-dateable!”</p><p>“Even with your mixed messages, there was some wisdom in the cards,” Madame Tsubaki told him. “The dragon is not your friend. The viper will betray you, while the lion will not! Heed this warning! Choose your side wisely.”</p><p>“Whatever,” Shorter shrugged. “C’mon Ash, we better get back to the Chang Dai before Nadia starts wondering what’s keeping us.”</p><p>They stood up to leave, Ash finding his legs had developed pins and needles from being sat on the floor too long.  </p><p>“Urgh, I can’t feel my feet,” he hissed, stumbling a little as he struggled to feel the floor properly.</p><p>“Walk it off, you’ll be fine,” Shorted laughed unsympathetically.</p><p>“One more thing!” Madame Tsubaki called out to Ash as he walked away. “Birds do not thrive in cages, and bravery brings with it a great sense of pride. Treat this person just as kindly as they treat you, or else they will become unhappy and unfulfilled, and know that no matter how often you try and push them away, they will stubbornly fly back every time. If you fight for the freedom you so desperately crave, with the bird at your side, you will eventually succeed. But always be on the lookout for enemies – even after you think everyone is dealt with, there will always be one dark horse lurking in the shadows. Trust the monkey more, and allow it to speak!”</p><p>“I’ll keep that in mind,” Ash told her. He and Shorter got a few steps into the crowd before he heard Madame Tsubaki call out to him once more.</p><p>“Take care of yourself, Aslan Callenreese!”</p><p>He turned, alarmed, to stare at the fortune teller, wanting to demand how she knew that name, but when he turned the stall seemed to have vanished. That couldn’t be the case… Street performers don’t just disappear. They must have walked further than they thought. That last callout had just been his imagination. Yeah, that was it.</p><p>“You okay dude?” Shorter asked him, concerned.</p><p>“Yeah… I’m fine,” he replied, sounding a little uncertain.</p><p>“What a weird lady she was!” Shorter said, laughing. “You get all sorts in New York, man! Hehe! Worth $5 just for the entertainment!”</p><p>Entertainment. That’s all it was. A kooky lady and her made-up stories.</p><p>He shoved the reading to the back of his mind, and in time completely forgot about it. He had more important, immediate things to consider, like giving Griffin a sponge bath, and trying to deal with those Puerto Ricans who were muscling in on his territory, and whether he’d even survive until next week, without dwelling on an endearing cinnamon bun of a Japanese citizen, who may or may not exist, and who may or may not change his life.</p><p> </p>
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